2017 Brunello di Montalcino

Tasting and talking with Luca Marrone, the Chief winemaker for ColleMassari Wine Estates, which includes Poggio di Sotto and Tenuta San Giorgio, is always an eye-opening and educational experience. This is a man that oversees a number of top properties throughout Tuscany, and yet is always dialed into the intricacies of each vintage and each wine throughout all of them. Not only is he happy to offer up his successes for critique, but also to discuss his possible failures. However, in the case of the recent vintage (2017) at both Poggio di Sotto and Tenuta San Giorgio, even with all of its challenges, there is only success to speak of--but it came at a high price. First and foremost was the work in the vineyards, such as no deleafing, but instead, training the canopies to shade the fruit (a practice you’ll see many forward-thinking producers using in Montalcino these days), as well as green harvest of inferior berries. The extreme heat and dry conditions forced an early first harvest, starting on August 29th, to avoid further dehydration and adding overripe characteristics to the finished wine. Keep in mind that while emergency irrigation is permitted here, it is a practice that Poggio di Sotto refuses to use. Luckily, temperatures dropped in early September, which also brought some refreshing precipitation. This allowed the remaining fruit to ripen at a more balanced pace, and although the harvest was extended to the 27th of September, it still resulted in a total loss of 40% after selection of the fruit was completed. Even so, the challenges presented to the winemaking team were far from over. Due to the thicker skins and less juice within the early-harvested berries, maceration times were lessened to two weeks, while the later-harvested fruit was able to enjoy a full three weeks. Pump-overs were both lessened and shortened, and, in what seems to be a repeating theme with many of the more successful wines of the vintage, the aging in wood was decreased; in this case, by an entire year. The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino of both Poggio di Sotto and Tenuta San Giorgio are testaments to the practice of buying the producer over the vintage. Both wines are completely unique yet completely successful, and they should not be passed up by fans of these estates and their styles. As for the future, let’s just say that Luca Marrone has some truly exciting vintages cooking up in the cellar as we speak. I am fully confident in saying that the legacy of Poggio di Sotto is in good hands.